Chapter 61
Alexandra Widas
Jay Dolan and Rachel Sleeman
Chauvel
Plantard
Saint-Clair
Da Vinci
Botticelli
Poussin
Bernini
Mozart
Victor Hugo
Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Legend of King Arthur
Story of Sleeping Beauty
Masonic symbolism and Grail secrets in Hunchback of Notre Dame (Victor Hugo)
and Magic Flute (Mozart)
Mickey Mouse watch
Walt Disney’s life work was passing on the Grail Story?
Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Little Mermaid as dealing with the incarceration of the sacred feminine
Sleeping Beauty’s Princess Aurora – code-named “Rose” – as the Grail
DVD
Is SEX really over Simba’s head in The Lion King?
The Little Mermaid – is there actually the painting The Penitent Magdalene in her grotto?
Georges de la Tour
The Penitent Magdalene
Isis
Eve
Pisces the fish goddess
Mary Magdalene
The Book of Isaiah
Meaning of “Ariel”
Chauvel “Marie Chauvel, Sophie Neveu's grandmother, is named for an actual historical figure, Marie Chauvel de Chauvigny, a bishop and head of the Église Gnostique Apostolique , the French Church of Gnostic Apostles.” (http://www.davincilegacy.com/Infringement/private/PerdueBrown-The-heroines-are-the-Goddess.html) No other information could be found to corroborate or dismiss Dan Brown’s claims about the Chauvel family.
Plantard Dan Brown claims that Plantard is the last name of the hidden Merovingian descendents – descended from Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ. Plantard is also the last name of Pierre Athanase Marie Plantard, born in 1920 in Paris. A government report about Pierre Plantard states, “Plantard, who boasts of having links with numerous politicians, seems to be one of those dotty, pretentious young men who run more or less fictitious groups in an effort to look important and who are taking advantage of the present trend towards taking a greater interest in young people in order to attract the Government's attention.” (http://priory-of-sion.com/psp/id84.html) By 1964 Plantard was claiming that he was a direct descendent of the Dagobert II, a Merovingian king. In fact, he was descended from a 16th century peasant who picked walnuts. Pierre Plantard also revived the Priory of Sion, and the central purpose of the revival was to back his claim as a Merovingian descendant. He created false parchments, gravestones, and genealogies to further this fabrication. During the process of a separate judicial investigation, Plantard was examined on the stand, and admitted under oath that he had made up everything relating to the Priory of Sion. Hence, Dan Brown’s usage of the name Plantard as a descendent from the Merovingians and thus from Jesus simply buys into Plantard’s fraudulent claims. For more information and more links, go here:
http://priory-of-sion.com/psp/id84.html
Saint-Clair No information could be found to corroborate or dismiss Dan Brown’s claims about the Saint-Clair family.
Leonardo Da Vinci See Prologue.
Botticelli See Chapter 23.
Nicolas Poussin See Chapter 3.
Bernini Dan Brown mentions Bernini in passing, including him in a list of great artists whose works whispered of the sacred feminine. While it is reasonable to conclude that he meant the more famous Gian Lorenzo, he could have meant his father, Pietro. Neither are explicitly linked to the sacred feminine, thus both are included here.
Pietro Bernini (1526 – 1629) Pietro Bernini, father of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, was an acclaimed sculptor in Naples and Rome in the late 16th century. In Naples, his works included “Charity in the Church of Monte di Pietà, St. Matthew in the Church of Gesù Nuovo, and the Virgin in the National Museum of San Martino (reworked by Cosimo Fanzago). He also carved the Medina Fountain in San Martino, and the Barcaccia (1627–29), a fountain in the form of a leaking boat in the Piazza di Spagna, Rome, is believed to be his work” (http://search.eb.com/eb/article?tocId=9078860&query=bernini&ct=). For more information and more paintings, follow this link:
http://search.eb.com/eb/topic?idxStructId=62547&typeId=17
Two examples of his sculpture: The Assumption (left) and St. John the Baptist (right).
(http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/b/bernini/pietro/index.html)
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) Gian Lorenzo Bernini was arguably the greatest sculptor of the 17th century. He “created the Baroque style of sculpture and developed it to such an extent that other artists are of only minor importance in a discussion of that style” (http://search.eb.com/eb/article?tocId=9078859). He also worked as a good architect. Some of his architectural works are the symmetrical curved colonnades of St. Peter's, the facade of Barberini's palace, and the arsenal at Civita Vecchia. Late in his career Bernini designed a series of three churches, culminating in the domed Sant' Andrea al Quirinale, 1658-70, in Rome. At the time of Bernini’s death, his contemporaries considered him to be both “Europe’s greatest artist”, and also one of the greatest men. “He was the last of Italy's remarkable series of universal geniuses, and the Baroque style he helped create was the last Italian style to become an international standard. His death marked the end of Italy's artistic hegemony in Europe” (http://search.eb.com/eb/article?tocId=8225).
For further information and more paintings, follow these links: http://www.boglewood.com/cornaro/xbernini.html
http://www.latein-pagina.de/pics/referate/bernini/bernini.jpeg
digilander.libero.it/.../ bernini/page_01.htm
Gian Lorenzo Bernini Apollo and Daphne
http://search.eb.com/eb/topic?idxStructId=62547&typeId=17
Mozart Full name Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, baptized as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart (1756-1791) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was one of the greatest composers of Western music. He brought the Viennese Classical School to its peak. He truly stands out from his contemporaries, such as Haydn and Beethoven, in that he wrote in “all the musical genres of his day and excelled in every one. His taste, his command of form, and his range of expression entitle him to be considered the most universal of all composers” (http://search.eb.com/eb/article?tocId=9108745&query=mozart&ct=). He was truly a prodigy, and performed for the Imperial Court at Vienna for the first time at the age of six. “Mozart became a Freemason while staying in Vienna (around 1784), and it was his masonic friends who helped to support him financially. Freemasonry was also an influence on him musically, and he incorporated masonic symbolism into some of his works of this period” (http://www.mfiles.co.uk/Composers/Wolfgang-Amadeus-Mozart.htm). He was buried in an unmarked grave, and the location is still unknown.
http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/mozart.html For further information and more music, follow these links: http://search.eb.com/eb/article?tocId=9108745&query=mozart&ct=
http://www.mfiles.co.uk/Composers/Wolfgang-Amadeus-Mozart.htm
(http://www.mfiles.co.uk/Composers/Wolfgang-Amadeus-Mozart.htm)
Victor Hugo See Chapter 19.
Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight stems from a Middle English poem from the late 14th century, by an unknown author (referred to as the Pearl Poet). The 2500 “alliterative lines” are constructed into irregular stanzas, broken up by short rhyming passages. “It is a chivalric romance that tells a tale of enchantment in an Arthurian setting. Its hero, Sir Gawayne (Gawain), is presented as a devout but humanly imperfect Christian who wins a test of arms, resists temptation by a lord's wife, but succumbs to an offer of invulnerability” (Encyclopedia Britannica). The story “begins at King Arthur’s court at Camelot on New Year’s day. As Arthur's court is feasting, a stranger, the gigantic Green Knight, on horseback and armed with an axe, enters the hall and lays down a challenge. One of Arthur's knights may take the axe and strike a single blow against the Green Knight, on the condition that the Green Knight, if he survives, will return the blow one year and one day later. Sir Gawain, the youngest of Arthur's knights, accepts the challenge and chops off the giant's head. The Green Knight, still alive, picks up his own head, reminds Gawain to meet him at the Green Chapel in a year and a day, and rides off. Almost a year later, Sir Gawain sets off in his finest armour, on his horse Gringalet, to find the Green Chapel and complete his bargain with the Green Knight….The journey takes him from the isle of Anglesey to a castle somewhere in the West Midlands. Gawain meets the lord of the castle and his beautiful wife, who tell him that the Green Chapel is close by, and suggest that he stay with them. The lord, before setting off on a day's hunting, offers a deal to Sir Gawain. The lord will give Gawain whatever he catches, on condition that Gawain gives to the lord, without explanation, whatever he might gain during the day. Gawain accepts. That night, while the lord is still away, the lady of the castle visits Gawain's room and tries to seduce him, claiming that she knows of the reputation of Arthur's knights as great lovers. Gawain, however, keeps to his promise to remain chaste until his mission to the Green Chapel is complete, and yields nothing but a single kiss. When the lord returns with the deer he has killed, he hands it straight to Sir Gawain, as agreed, and Gawain responds by returning the lady's kiss to the lord. According to the lord's bargain, Gawain refuses to explain where he won the kiss. On his second night, Gawain again receives a visit from the lady, and again politely refuses her advances. Next day, when the lord returns, there is a similar exchange of a hunted boar for two kisses.On his third night, when the lady visits his chamber, Gawain maintains his chastity but accepts a silk girdle, which is supposed to keep him from harm, as a parting gift. The next day, the lord returns with a fox, which he exchanges with Gawain for three kisses. The next day, Gawain leaves for the Green Chapel, with the lady's silk girdle hidden under his armour, and accompanied by a guide from the lord's castle. Leaving the guide, who is afraid to approach the Green Chapel, Gawain finds the Green Knight busy whetting the blade of an axe in readiness for the fight. As arranged, the Green Knight attempts to behead Gawain, but after three attempts Gawain remains only slightly injured, the third blow barely cutting his neck. The Green Knight then reveals himself to be an alter ego of the lord of the castle, Bertilak de Hautdesert, and explains that the three axe blows were for the three occasions when Gawain was visited by the lady. The third blow, which drew blood, was a punishment for Gawain's acceptance of the silk girdle. The Green Knight explains that Gawain's trial was arranged by Morgan le Fay, mistress of the wizard Merlin and now a guest at Hautdesert castle. The two men part on cordial terms, Gawain returning to Camelot. There, Sir Gawain recounts his adventure to Arthur and explains his shame at having partially succumbed to the lady's attempts, if only in his mind. Arthur refuses to blame Gawain and decrees that all his knights should henceforth wear a green sash in recognition of Gawain's courage and honour” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Gawain_and_the_Green_Knight).
Interestingly, the pentangle is a prominent symbol in the Legend of Sir Gawain. Sir Gawain sets out with a pentacle upon his shield suggests that his knightly virtues are a necessary protection in his quest. “Gawain's five five-fold virtues combine to make him a powerful, perfectly balanced knight, like the pentangle he strives to deserve. Ever alert, he is ``faultless in his five senses” (http://the.rubberpaw.com/writings/gawainsu.html) To read more on the pentangle’s prominence in the Legend of Sir Gawain, follow the above link. “Sir Gawayne and the Grene Knight."Encyclopædia Britannica. 2004. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 1 Nov. 2004 http://search.eb.com/eb/article?tocId=9067978>.
Learn more about this legend at: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gawain/, 1 Nov. 2004
Read the poem, containing this legend at: http://alliteration.net/Pearl.htm 1 Nov. 2004
Legend of King Arthur The earliest mention of Arthur occurs in very ancient Welsh stories, ‘Historia Britonum' written by Nennius, about two centuries after Arthur’s death. These were tales that Welsh apprentice storytellers were required to learn and make part of their act. King Arthur embodied the pure virtues of knighthood. King Arthur was the son to Uther Pendragon. Upon his birth, Arthur was taken by Merlin to Sir Hector, who then brought up the child as his own. When King Uther died, it was declared that whoever could free the magic sword from the stone gained right to the throne. Arthur freed the magic sword, named Excalibur, and took his place as king. (The Disney Movie, The Sword in the Stone is based upon this portion of the legend). King Arthur married Guinevere and held his court at Camelot. He gathered together the bravest of knights. They all sat as equals about a great round table, as members of the Order of the Round Table. The story of Sir Arthur has constantly been intertwined with the legend of the Holy Grail. "Arthurian legend."Britannica Student Encyclopedia. 2004. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
1 Nov. 2004http://search.eb.com/ebi/article?tocId=9272966>. For more information, visit: http://www.legends.dm.net/kingarthur/ 1 Nov. 2004.
King Arthur pulling Excalibur from the stone http://www.uidaho.edu/student_orgs/arthurian_legend/gallery/c_img/c_adss.jpg,
Sleeping Beauty Once upon a time, a Queen had a beautiful baby daughter. She asked all the fairies in the kingdom to the christening, but unfortunately forgot to invite one of them, who was a bit of a witch as well. She came anyway, but as she passed the baby's cradle, she cursed the baby. She said that when the Princess was sixteen, she would injure herself with a spindle and die. A good fairy quickly chanted a magic spell to change the curse. When she hurt herself, the Princess would fall into a very deep sleep instead of dying. To protect her from spindles, the King and Queen sent her into the forest to live with some of the good fairies. They nicknamed her “Rose” and were careful to keep her away from spindles. She is meant to return to the castle on her 16th birthday to meet the Prince she is to marry. However, as she wanders through the castle on her, she comes into a room where an old servant was spinning. The Princess asked to see the spindle, and she pricked herself with it. With a sigh, she dropped to the floor. The terrified old woman hurried to tell the Queen. Beside herself with anguish, the Queen did her best to awaken her daughter but in vain. The court doctors and wizards were called, but there was nothing they could do. The Princess could not be wakened from her deep sleep. The good fairy who managed to avoid the worst of the curse came too, and she did not know when the Princess would awaken.